


Revised Scenario

by songofdefiance



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Episode: s03e25 Worst Case Scenario, F/M, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:47:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21981634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songofdefiance/pseuds/songofdefiance
Summary: Seven huffed.  “I am not going to take part in a scenario built upon a faulty premise.”“Faulty?” Harry asked, his curiosity piqued.“Obviously,” Seven said, lifting her chin.  “The Commander would never betray the Captain.  To assume such is to have a fundamental misunderstanding of Voyager’s command team.  The two are close to being a Borg collective of their own, minus the nanoprobes and other Borg implants.”
Relationships: Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway
Comments: 32
Kudos: 161
Collections: Star Trek: Voyager Fanfics (G)





	Revised Scenario

**Author's Note:**

> HI I'M NEW
> 
> I'm about 20 years late to Voyager but better late than never???
> 
> Anyway I'm obsessed with J/C so here ya go. I tried to be funny. I'm kind of testing the waters before I try anything deeper (and trust me, I have Plans).
> 
> Enjoy!

Harry held his breath.

He was crouched behind the Doctor’s desk in Sickbay, listening to the murmurs of the two mutineers that were standing guard outside the door. Thus far, they seemed blissfully unaware of his presence. The door wasn’t open, but even so it was an effort to muster the courage to make a break for the Jeffries tube access hatch across the room. His uniform had a torn shoulder.

He finally released a slow, quiet exhale. Before deciding to betray Commander Chakotay for Captain Janeway, he’d managed to scramble the internal sensors so that they wouldn’t be able to pinpoint his location. He had at least another half an hour before the commander and the traitors would be able to fix them. Enough time for him to get into the Jeffries tubes and cause as much mayhem as possible - maybe he’d be able to slow the ship down enough for the captain to get there.

Finally mustering his courage, Harry straightened up and crept as quickly and quietly as he could across the room. He didn’t breathe again until he had the access hatch shut behind him.

He couldn’t quite stop the giddy grin that crossed his face.

It took a lot of crawling, but eventually he managed to make it to Engineering. He double-checked his phaser, making sure it was set for stun. Before he could move, the ship’s alarms started blaring. 

Harry banged his head against the top of the Jeffries tube and hissed. 

“No, no,” he muttered, frowning. “It’s too soon.”

Only a moment later, however, the ship shuddered, throwing him against the side of the tube. Harry swore.

He emerged into an Engineering in chaos. Thankfully, he went largely unnoticed; whatever Captain Janeway had done had the mutineers scrambling. Harry darted over to one of the wall consoles, quickly keying in the codes for a warp core shutdown. 

A hand on his shoulder forced him to spin around.

“What’re you doing?”

Harry blinked. B’Elanna’s face was about two inches from his own, and he swallowed reflexively. 

“You’re one of  _ them _ ,” she spat, shoving him aside. The next thing he knew, a phaser was being aimed at his face. He opened his mouth to try and explain, but then the phaser went off, and -

_ “Scenario end reached. Program terminated.” _

Harry groaned as “Engineering” dissolved around him. He sat down on the floor in the now-empty Holodeck Two, taking a few moments to catch his breath. His back ached from crawling around in the Jeffries tubes for nearly twenty minutes. Getting through the scenario without dying was a lot more difficult than he remembered. 

The Holodeck doors opened, revealing an impatient looking Tom.

“You’re about 15 minutes late for dinner,” he accused. 

“Yeah, I know,” Harry groaned. He forced himself to his feet. “I probably should’ve run something more relaxing. I’ve got an overnight shift on the bridge.”

Tom grinned. “Well, if it’s any consolation, the last time I ran it I got thrown out an airlock. By Captain Janeway, believe it or not.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Decided it was the rebel way or the highway?”

Tom winked. “I see you’ve got your 20th century slang down. Even if you did get killed in the end. What happened? Executed in the cargo bay? Shot down valiantly trying to defend Janeway?”

“Actually I got as far as Engineering before B’Elanna caught me and shot me with her phaser.” Harry somehow managed to keep a straight face as he added, “At least I didn’t get yeeted out an airlock. By the Captain.”

Tom winced. “Early 21st century slang? C’mon, Harry, you’re above that.”

Harry dabbed.

“Forget B’Elanna,  _ I’m  _ going to phaser you.”

“Speaking of which,” Harry said, “is she joining us for dinner today?”

“Yeah, actually,” Tom said. “She’s the one who made me come get you. Something about you probably starving to death because you like to sneak around the Jeffries tubes during the holonovel.”

Harry didn’t say anything to that. Mostly because B’Elanna was absolutely right.

He was surprised to see not only B’Elanna in the mess hall, but Tuvok as well. 

“Hey Tuvok,” he greeted. 

“Ensign Kim.”

B’Elanna smirked at him as he sat down at their table. “So... how’d you die this time?”

Harry scowled. “How do you know I died?”

“You’ve got that kicked puppy expression again.”

“You apparently phasered him to death,” Tom reported, pressing a kiss to B’Elanna’s cheek before sitting down. 

B’Elanna’s smirk turned into a full-blown grin. “Still got it.”

Tuvok fixed Harry with a scrutinizing stare. “You have just completed a run of Insurrection Alpha, I take it?”

Harry shifted in his seat. “Yeah. I dunno what made you want to recreate it, Tuvok, but it’s even better than before. More challenging, too. I don’t think I’ve gotten this much of a workout since last month’s community volleyball game.”

“That is precisely the subject I wished to discuss.”

“The volleyball game?” Tom asked innocently.

Tuvok shot Tom what could only be described as a withering look. “You know perfectly well that I mean Insurrection Alpha. I inspected the program recently to look for any anomalies, or any signs of Seska’s interference. Though I did not find any, I have been investigating the matter. I am not the one who recreated the program.”

Silence met his declaration, until Tom blurted out, “Wait, you’re  _ not _ ?”

“That is what I said.”

“But it’s almost exactly the same!” Tom said. “Except, y’know, harder, and it apparently has an ending. But so far the only person on the ship who’s managed to get to the end without dying is Vorik, and he won’t tell anyone what happened.”

B’Elanna raised an eyebrow. “Vorik managed it?”

“Yeah, but he wouldn’t tell me how he did it.”

“Well, now I’m dying to know,” Harry said. He shot Neelix a quick smile as the Talaxian placed a bowl of soup in front of him, and then started to eat, realizing how hungry he was. “I guess I’ll just have to run it again tomorrow.”

“I must admit, I have yet to attempt the scenario,” Tuvok said. “But if it is as challenging as you say, it may yet prove beneficial for training in the future. So long as I can ensure that Commander Chakotay is not offended by its contents.”

B’Elanna looked a little guilty. “He did say he didn’t want to be the bad guy again.”

Tom snorted, not looking at all contrite. “I doubt he’s offended. I happen to know that he’s been running it as much as the rest of us.”

B’Elanna raised both eyebrows. “Really?”

“Yup. Passed by Holodeck One the other day, while he had it reserved. Guess what was playing?”

“Well,” B’Elanna said. “Guess I’ll have to ask him how he died, the next time I see him. I can’t seem to get past the part where Janeway gets back on the ship, no matter which side I’m on. Oh wait - Seven! Over here!”

Seven had only just entered the mess hall. Harry shot her a welcoming smile as she wove through the tables and chairs to reach them. 

“Lieutenant Torres,” Seven greeted. “Your enthusiasm in calling me over is unusual.”

“We were just talking about Insurrection Alpha,” B’Elanna explained, ignoring Seven’s statement. There was a strange glint in her eye. “I wanted to ask if you’ve given it a try.”

Seven huffed. “I am not going to take part in a scenario built upon a faulty premise.”

“Faulty?” Harry asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Obviously,” Seven said, lifting her chin. “The Commander would never betray the Captain. To assume such is to have a fundamental misunderstanding of Voyager’s command team. The two are close to being a Borg collective of their own, minus the nanoprobes and other Borg implants.”

Tom whistled. “That’s high praise.”

Seven ignored him. “Therefore, Insurrection Alpha is irrelevant, and a waste of my time.”

“So you’re not even a little bit curious?” Harry said. “About how it would all end in this hypothetical scenario? I’m dying to know at this point. I can’t wait to see how it plays out.”

“I am not curious,” Seven said. “Have a good evening.”

She left the mess hall before any of them could say anything else. B’Elanna shrugged; Tom looked thoughtful. 

“So who wants to explain to her that the reason it works as entertainment is  _ because  _ it’s based on a faulty premise?” he asked.

“Not me,” B’Elanna said. She stood up. “I have to get some sleep. Seven wants to meet with me at 0400 for maintenance work in the Astrometrics lab. One nice thing about working with her is that she doesn’t have a problem with scheduling time around my hours in Engineering.”

Tom stood up quickly as well. “I’ll walk you to your quarters,” he said, his hand already hovering over the small of her back. B’Elanna shot him a small, but real smile, and allowed him to walk with her. Harry glanced at Tuvok, who was now staring pensively at the padd he had in front of him.

“I don’t suppose you’re up for a game of Kal-toh?” Harry asked.

Tuvok shook his head. “Not at present,” he said. He stood as well. “I will attempt this new version of Insurrection Alpha. I will see you on the bridge in two hours for the night shift.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tuvok gave him a nod, then left the mess hall as well, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts. 

* * *

Tom wasn’t one to be transfixed by anything, but he was certainly transfixed by the scene in front of him.

He hadn’t expected to make it this far with his latest strategy - which had been to do... well, nothing. He didn’t help Chakotay with his mutiny, but he didn’t hinder him, either, and because of that Chakotay seemed to accept him. He was even able to accompany the commander when they reached the point that Captain Janeway and Tom’s doppelganger transported aboard. Now he was witnessing a surprising turn of events: Janeway, in the brig, with Chakotay pacing in front of the force field, while “Tom Paris” fled through the ship with the mutineers on his heels.

He’d always known that his captain had a kind of magnetism to her, but it was never more apparent than it was now, even if this version of her was only a hologram. She was the one who was calm and poised, staring down her former First Officer with an expression that could be called serene, if it weren’t for the fire in her eyes.

“You seem to be having trouble looking me in the eye, Commander,” she addressed him. “Though I suppose it’s ‘Captain’, now.”

“I’m surprised you would admit that so readily,” Chakotay replied. His tone was as calm as hers, but his pacing betrayed his agitation. 

Janeway shrugged. “Why deny my reality?” she asked, gesturing carelessly at her own surroundings. Her eyes never left Chakotay. “I am in the brig, after all. I’m outnumbered.” Her grin could only be described as wicked as she added, “I’ve faced worse odds.”

Tom was both surprised and yet not at all surprised when Chakotay chuckled in reply. “We have, haven’t we?”

The two finally made eye contact, for a split second, and that contact had so much regret and anguish that for a moment Tom had to look away.

“Chakotay,” the captain said, coming a bit closer to the force field. “It isn’t too late. We can still find a way out of this. Together.”

Before Chakotay had the chance to reply, the ship shuddered, and alarms started blaring. Tom blinked, wondering what could be happening this time. The last time a red alert had been called, it had been because of Janeway herself, attacking. What was it now?

“Sir!” came a voice through Chakotay’s commbadge. “It’s - it’s the Borg! The Borg are attacking!”

Everyone in the room froze, including Tom. For a moment, the icy panic that had come over him when Voyager had encountered the Borg for real nearly caught him in its grip, but then he shook himself. Meanwhile, Chakotay’s features flashed from shock, then fear, then resolve. Without a word, he turned to the brig controls and pushed a button.

The force field trapping Janeway dissolved.

“What are you doing?” hissed Seska from next to Tom. He jumped. He’d forgotten she was still there.

Chakotay ignored her; he was looking at Janeway. Janeway inclined her chin, moving out of the brig without breaking eye contact with Chakotay. Her voice was uncharacteristically quiet as she said, “We’ll need to modulate our shield frequencies to keep them from adapting.”

Chakotay gave a curt nod. Tom held his breath.

_ “Janeway to Paris.” _

Tom swore. “Computer, freeze program!” He let out a long breath, then tore his eyes away from the scene to tap on his commbadge. “Paris here.”

“ _ Report to the bridge immediately _ .”

“Aye captain.”

He let out a reluctant sigh, but deactivated Insurrection Alpha and exited the Holodeck. There wasn’t a red alert going, at least, so whatever it was was hopefully not too urgent. He stopped by his quarters to change back into his uniform, then hurried to the turbolift, only to find that Harry was already in it.

“I see you got called in too,” he said, then did a double take. “Harry are you - are you  _ crying _ ?”

Harry quickly wiped at his eyes. “A little,” he answered hoarsely, smiling wryly.

“Computer, freeze turbolift.” Tom put both hands on Harry’s shoulders, realizing that they were shaking. “I’m not gonna judge you for a few tears, Harry - but I figured you’d want a minute to get yourself together before we hit the bridge. What happened?”

“I finished Insurrection Alpha,” Harry answered. “I just... I didn’t think it would...”

Tom just barely restrained himself from pressing Harry about what had happened. Maybe later, when Harry had calmed down a bit, but now wasn’t the time.

“It’s just a simulation,” he soothed. “Whatever happened in there, it’s not gonna happen out here. You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Harry said. He straightened, then wiped at his eyes one last time. “I’ll be fine. Thanks.”

Tom made sure to look him in the eye as he said, “Anytime.”

It turned out that they were called to the bridge to navigate their way around a nebula. Tom was at the helm for the next eight hours, carefully maneuvering Voyager through the edges of the nebula, until he was finally relieved. His exhaustion didn’t hit him until he was about halfway to the mess hall, where he found B’Elanna sitting with Neelix and Chakotay. B’Elanna looked like she’d just finished eating, but Neelix and Chakotay both had mugs of tea in front of them.

“I hope you’re getting some sleep after this,” B’Elanna admonished, but her smile was gentle. “You look dead on your feet.”

Tom plopped down next to her with a sigh. “I’m still kinda wired from flying through the nebula,” he admitted. “But I think I’m tired enough to crash. The Captain was there when I got there  _ and  _ when I left, she’s gotta be more beat than I am.”

“I’m due to relieve her in an hour,” Chakotay said. “And I probably won’t let Voyager crash, since Neelix didn’t accidentally give me chamomile this time.”

“Ah - well, you see -” Neelix stammered.

“Relax, Neelix,” Chakotay said, clapping him on the shoulder. “She came out of it in one piece, right?”

“Barely,” B’Elanna muttered, earning a shove from Chakotay.

It seemed like as good a time as any to bring it up, so Tom casually said, “Harry finished Insurrection Alpha today.”

The declaration was met with a variety of interesting reactions. Chakotay choked on his tea, and had to turn away from the table to hack out the rest of it. Neelix leaned forward, looking enraptured already. B’Elanna, to Tom’s surprise, seemed completely unaffected, merely raising an eyebrow at him.

“Oh?” she said, ignoring Chakotay, who continued to cough next to her. “Did he say anything about it?”

“He was surprisingly moved by it,” Tom answered. “I didn’t get the chance to get any more details than that.”

“I bet he won’t tell you anything,” B’Elanna said.

“Why not? I’m his best friend!”

“Hmm... something tells me it’s the kind of experience that has to be lived.”

Tom squinted at her. “You’ve already finished it, haven’t you?”

B’Elanna mimed zipping her lips, then winked at him. Chakotay finally quieted down, though he didn’t resume drinking his tea. 

“So that’s making the rounds again,” he said.

“I already know you’ve tried running it,” Tom said immediately, prompting an eye roll from both B’Elanna and Chakotay.

“Fine,” Chakotay huffed. “I was curious. I didn’t get very far, though. My first attempt I got executed in the cargo bay by Seska. My second I got thrown out an airlock.”

“Hey, me too!”

Chakotay shot him a quick grin. “Nice to know I’m not the only one. But aside from those two times, I haven’t had the chance to try it again. My schedule’s been a little cramped.”

“Well, don’t worry,” Tom said. “I’ve tried it at least five times, and I haven’t beaten it yet. The only people I know who have are Harry and Vorik.”

“And Ensign Wildman,” added B’Elanna.

“No. Really?”

“Yep,” B’Elanna said, popping the ‘p’. “She actually seemed really upset about it. Jenny Delaney told me she found her sobbing in Holodeck One after it finished.”

“Damn,” Tom muttered. Now he was really curious. Just what was it about the ending that had people crying over it?

Chakotay frowned. “You don’t think there’s a chance this could lower crew morale, do you?”

“She seems fine now,” B’Elanna said quickly. “Must be like when you finish a really good holonovel but your favorite character dies. Plenty of people get affected by that kind of thing.”

“That’s true.”

“Well, I for one have found it very stimulating,” Neelix chimed in. He’d been uncharacteristically quiet up until now. “It’s absolutely thrilling. Why, just the other day, I was cornered in one of the Jeffries tubes, with only a bit of charge left on my phaser...”

Tom tuned him out, already planning for his next run of the scenario. If he was going to finish it, the best strategy seemed to be the one he’d done today: to do as little as possible and just let it play out around him. He couldn’t wait to see where it led him.

* * *

Kathryn wasn’t sure when she’d found herself with her arms around a crying crewman. 

She’d been taking a roundabout route to Engineering when she’d rounded a corner and nearly crashed into Celes. Kathryn had opened her mouth to apologize, but she’d frozen at the devastated expression on Celes’ face. The next thing she knew, Celes had all but flung herself at Kathryn, sobbing into her shoulder and hugging her more tightly than was probably appropriate.

Kathryn awkwardly patted her on the back, mind racing. What could have caused such a reaction? She didn’t think Celes had been in a relationship with anyone, but a breakup was the only plausible explanation she could think of. 

Gently, she extricated herself from Celes’ grasp.

“Are you alright, crewman?” she asked. She glanced up and down the hall, grateful that it seemed to be deserted apart from the two of them.

Celes took several gulps of air, but managed to nod. “I’m sorry, C-Captain,” she stuttered. “That was - really inappropriate, I’m sorry.”

Kathryn wasn’t about to reprehend Celes for crying; she was clearly upset enough already. “Do you need to go to Sickbay?” she pressed.

Celes shook her head furiously, wiping at her eyes. “I’ll just... um. I have a bit more time to myself, I’ll just go ride this out in my quarters. Thanks Captain.”

She rushed off before Kathryn could say anything else, her face red, still sniffling furiously. Kathryn sighed, then continued on towards Engineering, hoping to get a couple of hours of ‘talking shop’ (as Tom would’ve said) with B’Elanna before she was due back on the Bridge.

It wasn’t the first Kathryn had heard of the strange mood swings that seemed to be coming over the crew lately. Chakotay had mentioned, offhandedly, that no less than seven different crew members had come to him in tears, asking for some of his time. He hadn’t known what to make of it any more than she had, as all seven refused to tell him anything concrete about what had upset them. This was the first time Kathryn had encountered this herself, though.

Engineering was surprisingly quiet when she entered. She found B’Elanna bent over a console, feverishly scrolling through logs, looking like she hadn’t slept for days.

“Lieutenant,” Kathryn greeted.

B’Elanna visibly jumped. She turned, teeth bared, but deflated when she saw who it was. “Sorry, Captain,” she sighed. “I forgot we were supposed to be meeting now. We’ve been trying to modify the warp core to run on less deuterium, and it’s been going... less well than I’d like.”

Kathryn smiled. “Well, that’s what I’m here to help with.”

B’Elanna smiled back, albeit a bit more wryly. “Let’s step into my office,” she said, gesturing to a larger console only a few feet away. 

The memory of Celes faded as Kathryn and B’Elanna started to really dig into their work. By the time they were finished, Kathryn was riding the high of a productive two hours, and she happily agreed to B’Elanna’s invitation to get lunch with her. They chatted inanely while they walked to the mess hall, about the nebula they were trying to get around and about whether they would need to make another stop for resources soon.

When they entered the mess hall, it didn’t escape Kathryn’s notice that more crew members turned to look at her than not. She wasn’t sure what to make of that, or of the expressions on their faces. Was that relief she spied?

“I’ll get a table, you get food?” B’Elanna asked her, seemingly oblivious.

Kathryn nodded and turned to the counter. She spotted the back of Neelix’s head peeking out from behind some crates in the back of the kitchen.

“Neelix,” she called. 

He straightened, beaming at her as he turned around. “Captain! Just the person I was hoping to see!”

_ You and apparently everyone else, _ Kathryn thought, though she didn’t voice it aloud. “Today’s lunch special for B’Elanna and myself, please,” she ordered.

“Right away, right away,” he said, giving her a salute and a wink. “But while I have your attention, Captain, there is a ah...  _ small  _ matter I’d like to discuss with you.”

“Small?” Kathryn asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“I’m sure it’s not news to you that Insurrection Alpha is, once again, a hit on the holodecks.”

Kathryn blinked several times. “As a matter of fact,” she said, “that  _ is  _ news to me. What compelled Tuvok to rewrite it? He was so adamant about deleting the original that I thought the subject would never come up again.”

“Ah, well, you see, that’s the real mystery,” Neelix said, ladling some kind of vegetable soup into two bowls and passing them to her. “Apparently Commander Tuvok  _ didn’t  _ rewrite it. Someone else did. Very accurately, I might add, although this time with more difficult, and some additions.”

“Additions?” Kathryn asked. After what Seska had done to the last iteration, she wasn’t thrilled to hear that.

“Perfectly harmless ones, I assure you,” Neelix added quickly. “Though ah... maybe not quite as harmless as the author intended.”

“What do you mean?”

The bowls of soup sat forgotten between the two of them. Kathryn spared a brief thought for B’Elanna and turned around to shoot her lunch partner an apologetic smile before turning back to Neelix. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she caught B’Elanna smirking back at her.

Neelix had leaned closer, glancing furtively around them but not lowering his voice at all. “Apparently it’s been upsetting the people who’ve finished it,” he said quietly. “To the point of tears, in fact. Now, I myself have yet to finish it, and no one who has will tell me or anyone else a thing about it, but I’m starting to get concerned. I thought at first that it was a passing thing - people would be distressed for a short time and then move on, that sort of thing. But as more crewmen finish it, the unhappiness of its ending seems to be spreading like a disease.”

“You’re concerned that it’s affecting the morale of the crew.”

“Exactly,” Neelix said. “I’m not sure why everyone is getting so upset about this, but something about the scenario is getting to people. Now, I’m thinking that perhaps a party may be in order, or a potluck dinner to get everyone’s spirits up. Remind people that  _ this  _ is real life, not whatever happens in there.”

Kathryn took a moment to digest this information. Something about it didn’t seem right to her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. “I’ll consider it, Neelix,” she said. “I did run into Crewman Tal earlier, and she was very distraught. I might need to bring this up at the next staff meeting if this continues. It could just be an innocent holonovel, but if it’s something else - if this is Seska’s doing, again -”

Neelix shuddered. “I certainly hope not, Captain,” he said. “Ah, but I’ve kept you from your meal long enough. Please, enjoy! Give Lieutenant Torres my best.”

“Thank you.”

She wasn’t the best conversation partner through lunch, distracted by the news Neelix had given her. B’Elanna seemed to understand that her mind was wandering, however, and didn’t really attempt to make conversation. They ate in companionable silence until their soup bowls were empty, and then Kathryn bade B’Elanna farewell as she headed up to the bridge. Beta shift was hers, and she nodded to Chakotay as he passed her on his way out. 

It was a quiet afternoon and evening on the bridge, with only a few ensigns for company. Kathryn retired to her ready room after it was over, pondered for a few minutes, then added another item for the staff meeting agenda the next day. 

_ 5\. Insurrection Alpha - Revised _

* * *

Tom burst through her door and immediately said, “No.”

B’Elanna raised an eyebrow at him, putting the padd she’d been reading aside. It wasn’t often that Tom barged into her quarters unannounced, but when he did it was usually so that he could rant about the ship’s rumor mill, or when he wanted to surprise her with some grand romantic gesture. 

“Hello Tom,” she greeted flatly. “Come in. I’ve definitely been expecting you.”

“Sorry,” he groaned, rubbing at his temples. His face was flushed, and he looked like he’d been running. “I just - it has to have a better ending than that, right? Multiple endings, that’s just the worst one.  _ Right _ ?”

B’Elanna folding her arms to cover her apprehension. “I’m guessing you’re talking about Insurrection Alpha.”

“B’Elanna, you don’t understand. It made me want to hug Chakotay.  _ Chakotay _ . Not to mention the Captain - god, I thought everyone was just exaggerating but I think if I see her within the next hour I’m gonna cry all over her like Celes did.”

B’Elanna stared at him. “I didn’t think it would have this much of an effect.”

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and Tom’s head shot up from where he’d been holding it in his hands. “You didn’t think -” he cut himself off, gaping at her. “It was  _ you _ ?”

“Not just me,” B’Elanna said, sighing. “I only wrote the dialogue. Well, translated it. Honestly, I thought it was going to be some harmless fun, I only agreed because I thought it might help certain people get their heads out of their asses -”

“Christ, B’Elanna,” Tom groaned. “It wasn’t fun, it was  _ devastating _ !”

“I know that now!” B’Elanna snapped defensively. “But it’s already out there, and I didn’t think I could remove it without the whole thing getting found out! And I promised I’d keep the real author anonymous.”

“You know that the Captain put this on today’s staff meeting agenda?”

“She did?” B’Elanna scrambled for her padd, pulling up the agenda. “Shit.”

“No kidding.”

B’Elanna stood up and started pacing. “This isn’t good. I swear, neither of us meant for this to happen. It seemed like a... okay, well, maybe not a good idea at the time, but not a harmful one! God, watch me get demoted for this - all these years I’ve managed to hold onto my rank in spite of my slip-ups, and now I’m going to be an Ensign just because of something this  _ stupid  _ -”

“Hey, you don’t know that,” Tom soothed, stepping up to her and placing a hand on her arm, stilling her. “The Captain will probably realize that you didn’t intend for anything bad to come of this. She’ll listen if you explain what happened.” He paused, a questioning look appearing on his face. “Wait, so, if you weren’t the author, then who -?”

* * *

“I was attempting to both prove a point and test my creative abilities. I believe the phrase is ‘killing two birds with one stone’. I... apologize, for any distress this may have caused, and accept full responsibility. Lieutenant Torres only contributed to the program at my behest.”

Seven stood with a straight back in front of Kathryn and Chakotay. Kathryn had raised both eyebrows in surprise when Seven and B’Elanna came forward during the staff meeting, admitting to collaborating on Insurrection Alpha. Seven had been the primary author of the holonovel, coming up with how the rest of the scenario would play out, while B’Elanna had tweaked the dialogue so that it was accurate. 

Kathryn shifted slightly in her seat. Seven didn’t look the slightest bit apprehensive, but B’Elanna did.

“What was it about the scenario that had everyone on the ship so distressed?” Kathryn asked. She was curious - morbidly so. She knew she should’ve been angrier about this, but she found it hard to believe that a holonovel could have such an impact on so many people. 

B’Elanna glanced at Seven, but Seven didn’t glance back at her. “It was probably the way it ended,” B’Elanna hedged.

“How does it end?” Chakotay asked, next to her.

B’Elanna opened her mouth, but Seven cut her off.

“Captain Janeway is in the midst of attempting to retake Voyager when the Borg abruptly begin to attack,” she said. “Realizing that infighting is unproductive, Commander Chakotay releases the captain from the brig and the two come up with a plan to fight back against the Borg. Seska attempts to interfere, and is either killed or locked up as a result.”

Kathryn couldn’t stop herself from looking over at Chakotay at the mention of Seska, but his face was blank.

“The plan is successful,” Seven continued. “The Borg cube is destroyed. At the cost of both Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay’s lives. The remaining crew is... ‘moved’ by the manner of their deaths, and decides to work together to reach the Alpha Quadrant. The scenario then ends.”

It was one of the few times in her life that Kathryn was speechless. 

“It is also not possible for the participant to save either of them,” Seven added.

B’Elanna sighed. “That’s not...  _ all  _ that happens,” she admitted. 

“If you are referring to the moment  _ you  _ programmed in which Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay exchange salivary fluids -”

“Seven!” B’Elanna hissed.

“- then no,” Seven continued, undeterred. “I suppose that it is not all that happens.”

The silence that followed was even heavier than the last. Kathryn was fairly certain she was gaping like a fish. B’Elanna looked like she wanted to sink into the carpet and never emerge. Seven’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.

Finally Chakotay blurted out, “Are you saying you Romeo and Juliet’d us?”

The absurdity of the statement nearly made Kathryn burst out laughing. She might have, if she wasn’t already confronted by a million other emotions. Of all the things she’d expected from today’s meeting, this hadn’t been one of them, and she had no idea how to deal with it. 

“I did not consult with Romeo and Juliet when writing this,” Seven said. “I believe Lieutenant Torres referenced multiple media sources when coming up with the dialogue. One of which was a 21st century film called ‘Rogue One’. Another was -”

“Yes, thank you, Seven,” B’Elanna said. “Look, okay, I’ll admit it was my idea to throw the romance in. I know how inappropriate it was, and I accept whatever punishment you see fit.”

Kathryn had a sudden longing for coffee, but it was nearing the end of the day, and even she knew it was a bad idea. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Chakotay, unsure of what his reaction to all of this would be. 

“I won’t punish either of you, for now,” she finally said. “Seven, your desire to ‘test your creative abilities’ is understandable. But in the future, I’d suggest you stick to fictional characters.”

Seven gave her a sharp nod. “Am I dismissed, Captain?”

“Not just yet. I’m curious as to what the point you were trying to prove was.”

Kathryn suspected that if Seven had less self-control, she would’ve rolled her eyes. “Commander Tuvok’s original simulation was built upon a faulty premise. Neither you or Commander Chakotay would betray the other. Your trust is absolute. I rewrote the scenario in an attempt to correct his assessment.”

Touched by this, Kathryn nodded and said, “Thank you Seven, you’re dismissed.” As Seven exited her ready room, she turned her gaze to B’Elanna, who was fidgeting uncomfortably. 

“Can you say it was inaccurate?” she finally said.

Kathryn didn’t even know where to begin with that. Behind her, Chakotay said, “That’s hardly the point, Lieutenant.”

B’Elanna folded her arms. “Look, I get it. It was childish. I could blame it on the playwright I ran into on that pre-warp planet who had the bright idea of having you two making out in every other scene -”

Kathryn raised both eyebrows.

“- but I just wanted a little bit of romance in there, to make it more... I dunno, emotional? And, y’know, the whole ‘dying in each others’ arms’ thing...”

B’Elanna seemed to wilt under the two unimpressed gazes bearing down on her, because she trailed off, then straightened and said, “It won’t happen again, Captain. Should I delete the holonovel as well?”

“I think that would be best, yes.”

“Understood.”

“Dismissed, Lieutenant.”

B’Elanna strode out of the room without so much as a backward glance, leaving a tense ready room behind. Kathryn exhaled carefully, braced herself, and turned to look at Chakotay.

Who looked like he was trying not to laugh.

“Something funny, Commander?” she asked him.

He shot her a grin, not at all put off by her tone. “You have to admit, it’s all a little absurd,” he said, eyes dancing. “Your acting skills are commendable, Captain.”

Kathryn folded her hands in her lap and swiveled her chair to face him. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Mmhmm.”

She jabbed her finger at him. “Don’t take that tone with me, mister.”

“Are you sure you wanted B’Elanna to delete it?” Chakotay asked, still grinning. “You didn’t want to try it out for yourself?”

Kathryn rolled her eyes, but she didn’t resist when he pulled her out of her chair and towards him, pecking her lightly on the lips. She rested her hands on his chest and gave him what she hoped was a stern look, but judging by the way his mouth quirked, she didn’t really succeed.

“I understand,” he murmured. “I’d like to think we have a happier ending in store for us.”

Kathryn finally allowed herself a tiny smile. “I did think it might hit a little too close to home,” she admitted.

“Apparently it did that to the crew.”

“Apparently.” Kathryn stepped away from him, already feeling the loss of his warmth. She bit her lip. “I know we had dinner planned for this evening, but maybe...?”

“You think we should put in an appearance with the crew and eat in the mess hall?”

Kathryn nodded. “I think they might just need to see us out and about for a while. If it was bad enough that Neelix actually came to me about morale...”

Chakotay smiled, offering her his arm. “Seeing as how both our shifts just ended, this seems like as good of a time as any. We can reschedule for tomorrow.”

Kathryn wrapped her hand around his elbow. As they exited her ready room, she said, “I bet I could’ve found a way to save ‘us’.”

Chakotay laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't have any excuses


End file.
